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After our air conditioner died a few years back, we realized that we really needed to start taking our HVAC contractor's suggestions seriously. He had told us to program our thermostat and change our air filters regularly, but we hadn't done any of those things. It was frustrating, but we knew that we were at fault. After replacing our air conditioner, we decided to really take our professional's suggestions to heart and to learn more about them. We did a lot of research about air conditioner maintenance, and we even decided to set up this blog to teach other people. Read more to learn how to keep your HVAC system healthy and functional.

If you are thinking about getting a new air conditioning system set up, then there are a lot of different options to choose from. Some options are going to be better in certain environments, some may offer varying levels of efficiency and coverage, and some are better suited to residential or commercial usage. To help you navigate your way through the vast world of air conditioners, here is a comparison of through-the-wall and PTAC units, the former of which is great for homes, while the latter of which is better for commercial uses.

What is a through-the-wall air conditioner?

A through-the-wall unit can be installed directly into a wall, which means that it gives you a fair bit of versatility. However, the installation can be a little more complicated than other options. You will need to actually create an opening for the AC, which means that a fair bit of expertise will be required.

Once the hole has been created, you can sit the AC in the slot, usually with a supporting structure. These units can be pretty heavy, so you want to make sure that the infrastructure is capable of supporting the weight.

A through-the-wall unit gives you the benefits of a window-based air conditioner while not forcing you to take one of your windows out of commission. It allows you to avoid using complicated and expensive air duct systems, which can be incredibly helpful if you don't have functional ventilation in place already.

What is a PTAC air conditioner?

Package terminal air conditioners are often installed in commercial settings, and particularly those where rooms are rented out to separate groups. For example, hotels often use PTAC units for regulating the temperature in each individual room.

The idea is that each unit functions like a small heat pump, allowing both heating and air conditioning. This allows you to combine your HVAC functions into a single appliance, greatly reducing the number of parts that you need to maintain. This is fairly obvious when it comes to the heating and air conditioning aspects, but it also can be extremely helpful on the ventilation side. Not having a complex web of ducts in your walls can make maintenance a lot simpler and less frustrating. This means that one room can be kept very cool while the adjacent room can be kept quite warm. In other words, it allows the business to cater to each room's individual needs without forcing one room to be affected by the preferences of another.